The ethanol gasoline blend known as E10 has already caused concern and hesitation, especially among owners of vehicles not designed to run the fuel, and despite the mounting questions over its use, the Environmental Protection Agency last summer approved the use of E15 gasoline, increasing the amount of ethanol in pump gasoline. Two bills recently introduced in Congress, however, seek to suspend that approval.

House Bill 875 and Senate Bill 344 address concerns with the destructive byproduct of the higher ethanol additive, formic acid, which can contaminate fuel systems, melt plastic and rubber and corrode some metals. The EPA began allowing gas dispensaries to offer E15-laced gasoline in June of last year, and the Renewable Fuels Association has stated that the E15 blend was extensively tested by the EPA before approving its use and is safe for virtually all vehicles manufactured after 2001.

However, with the implementation of E15-based fuels, many new car manufacturers have weighed in on the subject, with producers such as Nissan, Chrysler, Toyota, BMW and Volkswagen announcing that they will not cover fuel-related claims on their new car warranties. Other companies like Ford, Mercedes and Volvo will not honor any drivetrain warranties in vehicles that use E15. AAA (Automotive Association of America) has also issued statements that further testing of the E85 blend is needed and that the labeling on refueling pumps is insufficient to warn consumers of the possible damage that could occur with the E15 blend.

Both bills have the backing of SEMA, and the wording of each bill differs slightly. HB875 asks that the use of E15 be suspended for an additional 18 months while more testing is done. The Senate bill would suspend the sale of E15 entirely. SEMA is especially concerned for classic car enthusiasts whose cars see less road miles over the course of a year and allow the fuel to sit idle inside their fuel systems for even longer periods of time. The same concerns should also apply to anyone who owns a lawn mower, chain saw, weed trimmer, motorcycle, boat, snowmobile or ATV as all of these machines also sit idly by for extended periods of inactivity. The lack of use and infrequent refilling of the fuel system is where most of the problems have occurred to date.

HB875 has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, while SB344 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

SEMA urges you to contact your Senator or House Representative to express your opinions on these bills. A list of contacts for your lawmakers is available on the SEMA Action Network page.

Hi Group,
So, what’s the immediate answer, what can we do to today to keep our Classic Cars safe and from deteriorating to nothing? Replace parts, additives? I’m concerned, having rebuilt a carb twice and then finally replacing it………Any thoughts?

as was mentioned in the earlier E10 article, you could search for non-ethanol gas, some is still around near marinas. Other than that, your best defense is the blue additive made by Startron or the ethanol-specific Stabil gas stabilizer while the vehicle or small engine is in storage. Keeping the tanks full and leaving no room for condensation to form would also help.

I appreciate the link, Jim. I looked it up. I live about 40 miles outside Chicago. None of the stations listed are within 100 miles of me. Another thing, at most of those stations it only applied to 87 octane. My 1969 Cadillac would choke on that. My 2002 Grand Prix GTP would barely run. My 2000 Ford van would love it, though. We have a place in town with 100 octane race fuel. $8.00 +/gal. OUCH! My Caddy loves it, a little too much, LOL!; runs SO smooth. Thanks anyways.

Thank you for letting me know what I can do. My senator and representative will be urged to support the legislation noted and to put limits on this EPA nonsense.
Hemmings blog may not be the forum for looking deeper into the phony science that has nearly ruined the automobile industry, but unless we begin somewhere, there will soon be nothing left worth driving or collecting.
A REAL scientist who is not afraid to speak out is Dr. Arthur Robinson, publisher of ACCESS TO ENERGY, Box 1250, Cave Junction, OR 97523. He gets brilliantly to the bottom line and needs our encouragment.

Do not blame EPA as sole fault. The lobby money and other “money” bought the legislators as that is standard procedure now days. Who else but paid off, bribed, “campaign contributions” and contracts from former “members and staffs” would put Bill through that does damage to engines and reduces MPG by 10-20%?
The money rolled in to Corp Farm USA and others, Same ole same ole thing, as “The people” not longer have any input.

There has been an increase over the years of motor vehicles catching fire. Ethanol is the reason, due to the fact that it causes damage to the fuel system. Fuel pumps are prone to failure, if the fuel level gets below 1/4, due to the fact that the pumps are located in the tank.

On behalf of SEMA and the SEMA Action Network, many thanks for your blog posting on legislation in Congress to block E15. The article is a terrific summary of the issue and the Hemmings blog gets huge circulation, so it is a very valuable contribution in the E15 battle. The gas pump photo encapsulates everything. Kudos! Thanks again.

Since this blog seems to have grown legs and keeps going on and on, let me re-iterate a point I referred to earlier:

Coming down the pipeline [so to speak] is the technology to convert cellulose directly to alcohol. Like the 30%-efficient solar panel, or the lithium battery with 10 times the current storage power, it is currently one of the “Holy Grails” of today’s technology that will be just another taken-for-granteds a few years from now.

The result will be a renewable source of liquid motor fuel, economical enough to produce WITHOUT price supports or other “crutches”. This means that the “fuel of tomorrow” will probably not be that hydrocarbon blend known to us as gasoline, but will likely be straight ethanol [technically, E97, as 3% gasoline will still be used to denature it].

PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON for today’s use of ethanol is to introduce it to the marketplace so that all the bugs of distribution and needed technological changes can be worked out, so that in the future, WHEN IT’S HERE TO STAY, AND GASOLINE ITSELF IS PHASED OUT, the market will be able to utilize it without the component failures and other problems what presently mark its teething pains.

I subscribe to almost two dozen technical journals from various segments in the Industry, and have been a contractor since 1984 – I KNOW what’s coming, folks. I read about it every day.

P.S.: Future advancements in electrical utilization and storage will probably impact the automotive industry to an even greater degree.

John C. Kovalo may have made the most important contribution to this blog thus far. My own research as writer of an automotive column frequently dealing with subjects such as this,allows agreement that Kovalo has his future hat on square.

The fight was over long ago, but the disconnect with reality will linger for another generation. There’s been changes in this business over the years that have scared the heck out of people. Remember back to those who thought the automobile was the devils invention – it would never replace the horse.

Back even further, the written word in book form was thought would be the doom of man. Of course like everything else predicted to finish off man and his inventions – nothing has. It’s always scary when you only rely on the evening news or your mis-informed or apathetic freinds for information.

Thanks for putting the truth in front of everyone so eloquently John, you could have saved nearly 90 posts if you’d said it first.

I sell motor scooters, 50cc and up. I remove, disassemble, clean and reinstall carburetors clogged by the varnish caused by ethynol – on NEW scooters. Customers scooters usually need the carburetors replaced because the ethynol tends to corrode certain metals. This is expensive “folks”, for me and for my customers.

You want the manufacturer to change his product, at the customer’s expense due to higher price tags. Ethynol has a higher fuel cost, fewer mpg’s, less btu. This is progress?

My 2003 supercharged Cobra doesn’t like it at all, yet thrives on the “good stuff” of old.

Pray they have enough sense to get rid of ethanol at least in some fuels. this is the biggest issue I have keeping a large collection running all the time. Constantly ruining parts, and gumming up stuff. Plus it vapor locks like mad in the summer.